Ensemble




	Sara Guerrero – Artistic Director / Resident Director / Board Member Sara Guerrero, an Orange County native and Santa Ana Resident, is the founding Artistic Director of the award-winning Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, located in the heart of Downtown Santa Ana; a recipient of the 2010 Women Making a Difference Award; named “Best [Artistic] Director” by OC Weekly for 2009; a faculty member to the Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory's theatre conservatory; a Teaching Artist to the award winning, Fringe Benefits Theater, “setting the stage for social justice!” and where she additionally serves as Board Chair; and lastly a proud parent with her amazing and loving partner of 8 years!		Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz – Design-Technical Consultant/Producer Lonnie is a professional lighting designer and Associate Professor at UC Irvine in the drama department. He has designed at various regional theatres, such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Company , Laguna Playhouse, and Utah Shakespearean Festival. He has designed multiple shows for Culture Clash and Cornerstone Theater Company, where he is an associate artist. He recently co-produced the world premiere of Cherrie Moraga’s Digging Up the Dirt. He designed for Universal Studios, Japan. He is a member of the United Scenic Artist /IATSE – Local 829. Full portfolio can be found at http://lradesigns.com/.
	Alejandra Navarro – Associate Artistic Director Alejandra Navarro is a queer, Chicana artist and activist. She holds an A.A in anthropology from Fullerton College and a B.A in Drama with a minor in Educational Studies from the University of California, Irvine. Passions include, but are not limited to: purple, incredible music, fascinating movement, words that resonate, the intersection of art and social justice, uncle eddies vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and last but not least, really great champagne.		Angela Fong – Resident Stage Manager Angela Fong is a recent graduate from UC Irvine with a B.A. in Theatre. She has stage managed numerous productions including Glengarry Glen Ross, Hamlet, Waiting for Godot, Spring's Awakening, and a few dance shows. She joined the Breath of Fire family during the production of “Digging Up the Dirt” and is happy to be part of this amazing ensemble. When she is not working on a show, you can usually find her with a good book and a few friends. She would like to thank her family and friends for all their incredible support.
	Elizabeth Isela Szekeresh – Co-Managing Dir. / Resident Artist & Producer Elizabeth Szekeresh is a proud founding member of BOFLTE . She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Women’s Studies and an emphasis in Chicana Studies. Elizabeth is herself a playwright, screenwriter, director, actor and producer, and has performed and created work for a number of Latina theater and film collectives. She has performed her tragi-comic one-woman piece on the Breath of Fire stage, at Highways Performance Space, and at ATHE conference in August 2010. She was also the Associate Producer for Cherrie Moraga’s play “Digging Up the Dirt.”		Cory Carrillo – Resident Sound Designer Corrine Carrillo is recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine MFA Sound Design program. Ms. Carrillo received her B.A. in Theatrical Design from Cal State Fullerton, where she was honored with design awards at the Kennedy Center/ American College Theater Festival for A Piece of My Heart and A Bright Room Called Day. She is also the recipient of the 2009 Sound Design Achievement Award through the United States Institute of Theatre and Technology. This spring, Ms. Carrillo traveled to Las Vegas on a three-month internship to work on Cirque du Soleil’s production “KA.”
	Elvia Rubalcava Taylor – Co - Managing Dir & Board President / Writer Elvia Rubalcava Taylor was raised in Santa Ana by parents who helped shaped her social consciousness and love for her hometown. Elvia has worked with Latino communities on organizing strategies & leadership development for over 15 years. She graduated from Chapman University with a BA in Legal Studies with emphasis in Political Science & Peace Studies in 2000. Elvia is also a writer, blending childhood memories, social commentary, and Chicanisma into her pieces. As the president of the board of BOFLTE, Elvia is committed to continuing to empower and inspire young & fellow mujeres in developing their identity and craft.		Gina Davidson - Resident Costume Designer / Board Member Gina Davidson holds an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts and is the Resident Costume Designer, Board and Company Member of Breath of Fire. She has costume designed for Breath of Fire, International City Theater (where her work was nominated for an NAACP Best Costume award), Theatre of Note, East LA Rep, East Western Stage Company, Lillian Theatre, Hudson Guild Theatre, Odyssey Theatre, 24th Street Theatre, and West Coast Theatre Ensemble. Davidson has taught Costume design and theatre courses throughout Southern California and at the University of Nevada, Reno. In addition to her freelance work in costume design, she also serves as the Assistant Costume Shop Manager for UC San Diego and La Jolla Playhouse.
	Dr. Tiffany Ana Lopez – Board Member / Dramaturge /Academic Scholar Tiffany Ana López is Associate Professor in the Theatre Department at the University of California, Riverside where she teaches courses on U.S. Latina/o drama and performance and issues of violence and trauma in American theater. She is also a dramaturge and community outreach scholar. In addition to her collaboration with BOFLTE, she has worked as a writer and teaching artist for The Mark Taper Forum's Performing for Los Angeles Youth Program (P.L.A.Y.). She is editor of the anthology, Growing Up Chicana/o (William Morrow & Co.) and editor of Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social.		Tatiana Kuilanoff – Resident Set Designer Tatiana Kuilanoff is a fifth year undergraduate who is currently fulfilling a Bachelor’s degree in Drama at UC Irvine. She has recently received Honors in Scenic Design and hopes to attend graduate school to further her education in the world of design and theater. Ideally, she would like to pursue a scenic career in theater, television and film and a career in illustration and story boarding. Projects she has worked on are "The Wiz," "M.U.D.," "Rhinoceros," "Escape From Happiness," "The Wild Party" and "Digging Up the Dirt." Her latest project has been set designing the main stage opera, "Hansel and Gretel" for the Music Department at UCI.
	Jasmin Butler – Board Treasurer / Tech Board Operator Jasmin Butler is a short-haired black and brown chica. Currently she’s enrolled at Santa Ana College getting her General Ed. Previously; she served as an intern for Breath of Fire as an assistant to both BOFLTE sound and lighting resident designers on various BOFLTE productions. Additionally, she ran the tech boards during the run of several shows. She enjoys music, good food, drawing, live theater, and movies. She’s hoping to go to cosmetology school in spring of 2011, to become a fabulous hair-stylist.		Karyn Lawrence – Resident Lighting Designer Karyn Lawrence is currently in her second year of pursuing her master’s degree in lighting design at the University of California, Irvine. She has designed several productions at UCI including Robert Cohen’s Abraham and Isaac in Jerusalem, and Herbert Siguenza’s The Herbert Siguenza Project. She is proud to be the resident lighting designer for Breath of Fire Latina Ensemble in Santa Ana having recently designed Cherie Moraga’s Digging up the Dirt. She designed The Daly News for The Great River Shakespeare Festival and Clownzilla, for the UCI clown troupe’s tour in Arezzo, Italy. She has also designed All My Sons, Cinderella, and Scenes from an Execution with Sage Hill High School in Newport Beach and has numerous Los Angeles credits as well.
	Debra Russell – Resident Grant Writer Debra Russell is a professional development coach with the Americorps Teacher Fellowship Program in the Los Angeles public schools where she mentors new teachers and helps to support social justice work in classrooms. As a fourth-generation resident of Santa Ana—and fellow Century High alum—she is proud to be volunteering with Breath of Fire as a curriculum and grant writer, particularly on The "Mexican" OC radio play project that will bring both arts education and the stories of important figures from Orange County history into more of our local public schools		Richard Ordiano – Resident Artist/Set Builder Richard Ordiano after a spending a couple of years in bronze casting and life sculpture classes, Richard took a class in theater production and found that a “handyman” that loves art is perfect to enter this world. Richard is BOFLTE resident Artist and set and crafts builder his work has included: Digging Up the Dirt by Cherríe Moraga, The Media Complex, Miss Lebron, and Lysistrata, He has also collaborated with Panndora Productions and Stages; ranging from props, techie and running sound. Additionally, as a new actor has participated in the staged reading of Crazy Mex in “A Trip Through the Mind of a Crazy Mexican” at Breath of Fire’s new works festival, and The Medea Complex as the Guitarista . Breath of Fire is “my second home”.
	Denise Velasco – Board Member / Community Organizer

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